The distinctive red sole has long been the trademark of Christian Louboutin's shoes.
Shoemaker Christian Louboutin is suing Yves Saint Laurent, charging the fashion house ripped off his famous red-sole trademark.
The crimson underside has been a fixture of Louboutin's gravity-defying heels since 1992, when the designer first painted red nail polish on the bottom of one pair, says a lawsuit filed Thursday in Manhattan Federal Court.
Louboutin charges that this year, Yves Saint Laurent started selling its own version of the red soled shoe.
"Defendants use of red footwear outsoles that are virtually identical to plaintiff's Red Sole Mark is likely to cause and is causing confusion, mistake and deception among the relevant purchasing public as to the origin of the infringing footwear," the lawsuit says.
"The location of the bright color on the outsole of a woman's pump is said to provide an alluring 'flash of red' when a woman walks down the street, or on the red carpet of a special event," the lawsuit says.
The 27-page suit lists a veritable who's who of fashionistas who love Louboutins, including the casts of "Sex in the City," "Desperate Housewives" and "Gossip Girl."
It says that in January, Louboutin learned YSL was selling red-soles at Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus.
Louboutin has repeatedly asked Yves Saint Laurent to stop selling the shoes. A spokeswoman for Yves Saint Laurent declined to comment. SOURCE
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